Apparatus for applying fertilizer



Dec. 21 1926.

N. E. lai-:LlT

APPARATUS FOR APPLYINQ FERTILIZER Flled June 27 1925 i"throup'gh the rammed Dec. 21, 1926.

n UNITED STATES nPa'riaisii ',o-F'FicE.

NEEDHAM marc BELL, or oLovnnnALE, ALABAMA..

APPARATUS ron A PPLYING innrrmznn.

Application mea :une 27, 1925. serai Maase?.

ing, lawn culture and truck farming, for'all.

of which it is highly useful.-

In the drawing Fig. 1 shows a typical 'apparatus, partlyin section, while Fig. l2 is a.

package or cartridge of fertilizeradapted for use with such apparatus..

,The apparatus, in its referred form', is a chamber adapted to ho d a'supply of fertilizer, such chamber connected to astream of water, asin a A'i e orconduit, in such way thatl by differential p ressure'the .fertilizer in the chamber will'be introduced into and carried along by such stream. t

In Figl I .how such an apparatus,` thel fertilizer chamberl and'conduit being integral,though this is merely a" convenienceof manufacture. At 1. I rovide apipe or conduit above which is a c amber 2, for the fertilizer, covered by a screw'cap 3. `As will be seen at theA left, part of the walls ,of 1 and 2 being broken away, a Pitot'tube '4.is positioned inthe conduit, chamber-2 through a cone-s ed nozzle 5, governed by a conical or-need e valve at'6, thestein `7, of lwhieh,is carried through the wall of conduit 1 by an appropriate stuffing. lbox 8. This.. ermitsof variation in flow itot tube from conduit to chamber. A second conical nozzle, 9, shown in dotted lines, opens directlyfrom the wall of the 'conduit 1 to'chamher 2 and is of 'larger di of the rst nozzle. It is obvious that through the useof these two nozzles, the one being the v outlet of a Pitot tube and the other olpening flush with the wall ofthe conduit t ata diferentiah pressure will eitistand water.v will flow up into chamber 2 `by the first and back againthrough the second nozzle. I, l l The function of the nozzles is this: For .convenience I, provide cartridges or packages of fertilizer, such as the` substantially cylindrical example shown at in Fig. 2,

which is'simply a paperV bag containing the the ogening into thel meter than the maximum openingfertilizing material, more or lesswatersoluble. Onunscrewing ca' 3 this cartridge or bag ma be slipped insi e chamber 2 and perforate by the twonozzles. ,The cap 3 may'then be screwed home\and theapparav tus is ready to function assoonasA water flows in the conduitv 1.

As made up the apparatus is highly suity able for such small scalefertilizing as that of lawns, flower beds, gardena'and the like, though it may by mere increase of dimenL 'sions be made entirely suitable for more ex'- tensive o rations. y

' In o r nary use the apparatus woul'd'be connected between the usual hose and hy- .drant and may be left as a permanent connection to the hydrant where'it will not interfere lwith ordinary sprinklingpfor unless first charged with a supply of fertilizer the apparatus will not' function. Obviously in anyplressure irrigation system through piping om an elevated tank or other supply ipggratus, on Asufficiently large scale, wo'ul introduced at asuitable point on the-lineback of all branches through which the spread of fertilizer is to be effected.

.It is not contemplated that the ap aratus be. confinedto use with water-solu le fertilizers, though, of course, theseare' preferable, for, if the fertilizing material be in the :usual more or less finely ground or powdered condition it will be very effectually carried along'with the stream' of water and reach the vegetationalong with the spray.

It is to be understood that the ,particular combination of fertilizer chamber and Pitot tube and plain inlet to the water chamber is not by any means the only type which the apparatus mayl take. It is to be regarded as ltypical of a closed chamber so connected to a water ,conduit by suitable openings that differential pressures will result duringthe passage of a lstream of water, effective to introduce fertilizer into the stream.' The ar rangement with the Pitot tube is merely that j which presents distinct advantages for the smaller installations. 1y evident 'that if the two nozzles had flush o enings into'pipe or conduit 1 a. coiritra'c2l tioi of diameter of the conduit between the twoiopenings might be arranged to produce sufficient' differential. pressure to the fertilizer. f

The function of the needle valve scarcely needs explanation. By regulation of the It will be immediatewithdraw flow through the` entry nozzle the rate of feeding of fertilizer can be` readily governed from a maximum'to nothing. The location of -this valve,' of course, is merely a matter of convenience and the valve' could be omitted if only one standard rate of 'feeding was desired. l

Having described the invention,v what I claim is l Y 1. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a perforable package arranged to contain fertilizer, of a chamber arranged to hold such package, a conduit arf ranged to hold a supply of water under presi sure, channels connecting said conduit to sald chamber and terminating in nozzles therein arranged to perforate said package,

'and said channels so arrangedthat differential pressures will exist therein when a stream of water flows through said conduit.

2. The combination with a chamber, a conduit larranged to be connectedJ to a source of Water under pressure, conduits from said rst conduit terminating in said chamber' in relatively sharp nozzles and s0 arranged that differential pressure will exist in'said conduits lentering the chamber, and a package arranged to contain fertilizer and having walls adapted to be Aperforated by said nozzles, su stantially as set forth.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my 1 hand at Montgomery, Alabama, this June 24.

NEEDI-IAM ERIC BELL. 

